38 BEI,GIUM - INSURANCE AND THRIFT 



neighbouring countries, to make the new principle only applicable to the 

 case of industry, while later on the experience acquired might be utilised 

 for a law applicable to agriculture. 



The discussion of the bill in Parliament resulted in the law being made 

 applicable to agriculture at least in the case of farms of a certain size. 



It is applicable to three kinds of farms : first, those, of whatever size 

 they are where use is made, not merely temporarily, of machinery moved 

 by other than human or animal force. In this first class are to be in- 

 cluded forestry businesses, which are specially contemplated in the law. 



Next come farms on which at least three labourers are habitually 

 employed. 



In the third place. Article 3 of the law provides that managers of 

 businesses not subject to the law may become so voluntarily on making 

 express declaration before the registrar of the local court. This applies, 

 for example, in the case of small farmers, market gardeners or floriculturists, 

 of whatever size their holdings may be, who do not use machines worked 

 otherwise than by men or animals. 



The law contemplated three kinds of accidents : there may be such as 

 result in temporary disablement ; a man may, for example, break an arm 

 and consequently be prevented for a couple of months from attending to 

 his duties ; and there may be permanent disablement, either partial, 

 when, for example, an eye or a finger is lost, or total, when, for example, 

 both hands are lost; finally, the law provides for the case of accidents 

 resulting in death. 



In each of these cases a medical certificate must be given or medical 

 attendance and medicines provided for six months. It is, in fact, 

 calculated that the generahty of accidents cannot require medical at- 

 tention for a longer period. 



When the accident has caused temporary total disablement for more 

 than a week, the sufferer has a claim to the half of his average wages, beginn- 

 ing from the day after the accident. 



In case of partial disablement, consequent on total disablement, the 

 sufferer has a claim to half the difference between the wages he could earn 

 previously to the accident and what he is able to earn before his complete 

 restoration to health. If the total or partial disablement is permanent, the 

 above compensation must be paid to him for his whole lifetime. 



In case of an accident causing death, an amount of 75 frs. must be 

 paid for funeral expenses, but in a certain number of cases, on which we 

 need not dwell, a pension of 30 % of the annual wages of the victim, estim- 

 ated in relation to his age at the moment of his decease, must also be paid. 



§ 2. Practical organizaton of insurance. 



For the farmers, therefore, there are two kinds of legal Hability: some 

 are subject, while others are not, to the law of December 24th., 1903; but 

 there is another point : the law only contemplates accidents to labourers 



